A Delicious & Nutritious Morning Coffee Substitute

Health Editor

April 16, 2010

Spring in Birmingham is like nothing I’ve ever experienced.Over the course of what seemed like one weekend the trees suddenly burst with bright white and pink flowers, the grass turned a vivid green, pollen painted every surface a blinding yellow, and the temperature settled comfortably into the 80’s.

With this sudden onslaught of spring came my sudden craving for something cold to sip on my way to work, namely, an iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts with skim milk and one Splenda.Alas, unlike my old commute route into Boston, there is not a Dunkins on every corner, nor is there one conveniently placed on both sides of the highway.What is a poor iced coffee-deprived girl to do?I’ve said it before, improvise!

While nothing will ever replace my beloved morning iced coffee, I have become quite a fan of smoothies for breakfast.They’re filling, full of nutrients, and can start your day off right with at least one serving of fruit!And, luckily for me, MyRecipes has a Get-Fit Smoothies & Shakes calendar to fulfill my smoothie craving with a new recipe every day of the month (they must have sensed my Dunkins withdrawal).

My favorite iced coffee substitute is the Espresso Soy Milk Shake.It combines instant espresso granules with vanilla soy ice cream and a drizzle of non-fat chocolate syrup – what a way to start the day!

For added convenience I bought frozen fresh fruits at the grocery store, I also cut up my ripe bananas, put them in zip-top top bags and threw them in the freezer too, that way I never have to worry about whether or not I have fresh fruit on-hand!